They didn’t keep accurate records back then, so no way of knowing if kings, or lords, or peasants, or slaves. My general feeling is that if one were upper class, one stayed back in Europe; most of us are descended from riffraff.
Sweden owned Norway at one point. I don’t recall when it became part of Sweden and later again independent. Anyhow, might not be a difference between your “Swedish” and your “Norwegian” ancestors.
My ancestors most immediately came for Lithuania and Latvia, but being Jews, probably got kicked out of half the countries in Europe. (Mark Twain once said about Americans, that “our ancestors got kicked out of ever decent country.”) Also, although those countries have a distinct identity today, claiming something based on “history” always depends on WHEN in history you pick as your starting point.
no subject
They didn’t keep accurate records back then, so no way of knowing if kings, or lords, or peasants, or slaves. My general feeling is that if one were upper class, one stayed back in Europe; most of us are descended from riffraff.
Sweden owned Norway at one point. I don’t recall when it became part of Sweden and later again independent. Anyhow, might not be a difference between your “Swedish” and your “Norwegian” ancestors.
My ancestors most immediately came for Lithuania and Latvia, but being Jews, probably got kicked out of half the countries in Europe. (Mark Twain once said about Americans, that “our ancestors got kicked out of ever decent country.”) Also, although those countries have a distinct identity today, claiming something based on “history” always depends on WHEN in history you pick as your starting point.